food | ALXnow - Part 7

Pak Soii Izakaya files paperwork to open on Mount Vernon Avenue

Published August 14, 2025 at 11:45AM

Japanese restaurant Pak Soii Izakaya & Bar is coming to 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)

Four months after signing a lease with the landlord, a new Japanese restaurant has filed paperwork to open on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray.

The owners of Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar signed a lease at 1909 Mount Vernon Avenue in April, the former home of Zuki Moon. Today (Aug. 14), an application for a change of ownership to the business was submitted to the city. No major interior renovations are planned, and the only additions to the space will be a new water heater, interior painting, and decorations.

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ALIVE! seeks volunteers for free food distributions across Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 14, 2025 at 11:15AM

Food at ALIVE! (Photo via ALIVE!/Facebook)

ALIVE! is giving away free food to needy residents at multiple locations this month, and volunteers are needed to help.

The nonprofit issued a call for volunteers this week on social media, and the free food distributions are specifically for city residents. Attendees are asked to bring reusable grocery bags and proof of city residency. The locations and hours of the distributions are below.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published August 8, 2025 at 3:30PM

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita will open at 529 E Howell Ave in Alexandria (via Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita Mexicana on Facebook)

We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at this week’s top stories.

Our most-read post is on a proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in the city’s Del Ray neighborhood. The effort is facing some pushback from neighbors wary of potential crime and safety issues. In July, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita officially announced in a special use permit application that it wants to open at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social. It would be the fourth restaurant for the local chain, and while the restaurant won’t serve alcohol, outside patio hours would be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, according to the application. The inside area is proposed to be open 24 hours a day.

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French bakery and cafe files paperwork to open at 701 King Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published August 7, 2025 at 10:30AM

A lease has been signed at 701 King Street, the former home to Le Pan Quotidien. (Courtesy Google Maps)

A new French cafe wants to open in a prominent location in Old Town.

New York City-based Maman Coffee Baking Kitchen has filed a special use permit application to operate a cafe, bakery, restaurant, and accessory event space at 701 King Street. That’s the former home to Foxtrot, which closed in 2024, located at the corner of King and N. Washington Streets.

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Proposed 24-Hour Mexican restaurant in Del Ray draws neighbor opposition

By James Cullum

Published August 6, 2025 at 12:00PM

Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita will open at 529 E Howell Ave in Alexandria (via Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita Mexicana on Facebook)

A proposal to open a 24-hour Mexican restaurant in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood is facing pushback from neighbors.

In June, Tortas Y Tacos La Chiquita announced it would be opening this summer at 529 E. Howell Avenue, the former home to Bark Social until last November. The restaurant also announced 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. operating hours on its website. However, in its special use permit application filed in July, the restaurant said it will be open 24 hours a day.

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2D Noodles soft-opens on Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria

By James Cullum

Published August 5, 2025 at 2:30PM

2D Noodles at 3823 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

A new Vietnamese-Japanese fusion restaurant soft-opened today in Arlandria.

2D Noodles (3823 Mount Vernon Avenue) is testing out its kitchen and menu today (Tuesday, Aug. 5) and plans to fully open once several more staffers are hired, the restaurant’s general manager told ALXnow. The restaurant is located in the Del Ray North shopping center, just two stores down from their sister restaurant, Sake Express Japanese Hibachi.

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ALIVE! is giving away groceries at these two distribution points on Saturday

By James Cullum

Published July 21, 2025 at 1:00PM

Food at ALIVE! (Photo via ALIVE!/Facebook)

ALIVE! is hosting two free food distributions this week in Alexandria.

The nonprofit gives away free food to approximately 20,000 families in the city every month. No registration is needed, although proof of city residency may be requested. The walk-up distributions will be on Saturday (July 26) from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center (25 West Reed Avenue) and William Ramsay Recreation Center (5650 Sanger Avenue).

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After recent 10,000th cake milestone, Alexandria-area Cake4Kids continues sweet mission

By James Cullum

Published July 18, 2025 at 1:30PM

Natasha Gannon, a volunteer with the Northern Virginia chapter of Cake4Kids, baked and delivered 24 cupcakes for two-year-old Matilda at the United Way United Community- Early Learning Center in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, July 18, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

There’s nothing like a good birthday cake, and on Friday (July 18), 24 cupcakes were delivered to make two-year-old Matilda feel special on the big day.

Natasha Gannon baked the cupcakes and delivered them to the United Community – Early Learning Center in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. Since 2020, Gannon has baked upward of 50 cakes for the Northern Virginia chapter of Cake4Kids, which recently delivered its 10,000th cake to underserved youth.

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New coffee shop and wine bar pitched for Queen Street in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 17, 2025 at 5:00PM | Updated July 18, 2025 at 12:58PM

Ksenia Varakina wants to open Cherry On Top at 1021 Queen Street in Old Town (via Instagram)

A new coffee shop and wine bar has been proposed in Old Town.

Ksenia Varakina recently moved to Alexandria from New York City and wants to open Cherry On Top at 1021 Queen Street before the end of the year. She says that the proposed shop is off the beaten path and wants it to be a refuge for locals to unwind.

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Southside Community Fest returning to Old Town with free food and entertainment

By James Cullum

Published July 16, 2025 at 3:30PM

The Southside Community Fest is returning for its third year at the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, in Old Town (via Instagram)

Not long ago, Bruce Anderson and a handful of his boyhood friends from Alexandria decided to give back with a free community cookout.

The event was a bigger hit than the group anticipated, with hundreds of people showing up to the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street). Now in its third year, the Southside Community Fest features free food, live musical performances, a DJ, special guest speakers, and more.

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‘HomeGrown: A Daytime Eatery’ opens August 11 in Old Town

By James Cullum

Published July 14, 2025 at 12:30PM | Updated July 17, 2025 at 12:40PM

Homegrown is opening at 1600 King Street on Aug. 11, 2025 (via Instagram)

A new restaurant is officially opening its doors on August 11 in Old Town.

HomeGrown: A Daytime Eatery will formally open in the space formerly occupied by BRABO Brasserie in the Archer Hotel Old Town Alexandria. The restaurant, which has more than a dozen locations throughout the country, was announced last November. This is their first Virginia location.